For about 10 solid days, I genuinely became interested in the Bertone designed Ferrari 308 GT4. Mind you it’s not the prettiest Ferrari that ever graced Maranello. Heck, it didn’t even bear the Ferrari name for several years until dealers decided to stick them on (around 1976) to help move the cars.

The early 308 performed exceptionally well for its time. I won’t describe any reviews here as I’m sure there are better write-ups somewhere on the internet. However, even it took 72 hours before I found any appreciation for its looks.

I like Bertone. I like the school of Bertone. I own a Delorean - designed by Giugiaro, who developed his style from Bertone. You can tell from the 308 GT4 that it followed the “folded paper” school of art… Delorean…. Lamborghini Countach… Esprit… Aston Martin Lagonda… you get the picture. But even though I had an appreciation for the wedge look, it didn’t sit right on a Ferrari.

Needless to say, I snapped out of my 10 day liking of the 308 GT4. I also realized that Ferrari’s experiments away from Pininfarina’s designs were necessary. They were necessary because we all need to be reminded of how beautiful the 246GT and the 308 GTS/GTB are (and everything else after, of course).

However, like an unwanted puppy from a litter of pure-bred dogs, the 308 GT4 did gain my sympathy. It’s like the red-headed cousin that nobody wanted to play it - and you felt bad for it. The 308 came out during the 70s oil crisis, probably the worst time to make cars. Tack on the emissions restrictions and you’ve got a choked expensive car. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Ferrari released a 208 GT4 (a 1994cc engine POS) - yikes!!!. And right next to it in the same showroom floor is the sexy 308 GTB/GTS (later on the 512 BB). Had it not been born a Ferrari, it may have been a contender.

In 2009, the 308 GT4 is just an “also-ran” - no surprise. It doesn’t even have notoriety (at least the Ferrari Mondial is hated by many - some emotion is better than none). Depending on condition, I would value this car from $10k to $27k (if the condition makes it less than $10k, you probably don’t want it). You have a 30+ year old car that requires a high-caliber paint job, some interior work, mechanicals - that could run from $10k to $20k. And if the most you’ll get back is $27k, then it better be a labor of love for you.

It would never gain more in value than it’s sibling 308s hovering at about 30k (unless it has a celebrity history and in impeccable original shape). However, if the 308 GT4 does bring about some childhood dreams, then it’s always worth a look because, hey, it’s a Ferrari after all.